Final results of Syrian PA elections to be announced today
Syria, Politics, 12/3/1998

Independent trader candidates for the Syrian People's Assembly PA who learned beforehand that they won seats in the PA started celebrations in recognition of the results which were leaked before they were officially announced today.

The Syrian capital stressed "its trade face" in that traders occupied nine seats against six seats during the previous session dedicated to group "B" of independents of people excluding workers and peasants.

The winning candidates are Mamoun al-Homsi, Riad Seif, Hashem al-Aqqad, Baha eddine Hassan, Bade Fallaha, Aref Hananou (Industrialist), Adnan Dakhakheini, Hassan al-Nawri, and Muhe eddine al-Habboush.

Habbosh, al-Nouri and Hananou are new parliament members, whereas the others won in the previous PA elections. Independent seats from group "A" dedicated to workers and peasants were won by civil pilot Nabil Daoud, the anchor of a specialized religious program Marwan Sheikhu, anchor Yasser Nahlawi and the candidates for the Syrian nationalists ( al-Qawmi al-Suri) Bassil Dahdouh. The leadership of the Syrian Nationalist Party in Lebanon asked its supporters to elect Dahdouh. His rival Fayez Shahrestan withdrew from the election in his favor. This party is not banned in Syria but it is not licensed.

During Wednesday night the process of counting votes continued after the Ministry of the Interior announced that it had received the results of the elections in 12 provinces: Quneitra, Dara, Sweida, Hassaka, Idleb, al-Raqqa, Homs, Tartous, Hama, Lattakia, Deir ez Zour and Damascus countryside.

A source at the Ministry of the Interior said that the Syrian minister of the interior will announce the results of the conference at a press conference to be held at 10.30 a.m. (Damascus Local Time). Well-informed sources told the Lebanese daily al-Nahar that employees at the Syrian Ministry of the Interior were busy in counting the votes until the late hours of Wednesday night due to the large number of voters.

The sources added that the number of voters in Damascus was 647,000, which represents, three times the number of voters in the previous elections four years ago.

It is expected that the 167 candidates from the ruling National Progressive Front coalition which comprises seven parties will win the majority of the seats. The list of the National Progressive Front includes one member of the party's regional leadership, Ahmad Qabalan.

The previous PA session included four Baath Party regional leadership members.

Previous Stories:
  Syrian vice president: Each country's democracy is different   (12/1/1998)
  On the Syrian PA elections   (12/1/1998)
  Syrian People's Assembly elections next few days   (11/27/1998)

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